Awesome Or Not, I'll Remember It
by ItchyBeard579
Summary: It didn't matter whether it was something big. It could be a simple, little thing... but he would remember it all the same. A one-shot series. Genres and featured characters shall vary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there! So, first story written at my new place of residence. Sitting here, in my room at my sister's place, surrounded by books containing all the stuff I have to learn, bothered by my lil' niece and nephew... I'm beginning to think that the cat they have here is the only sane being in the whole house. Yes, myself included. The little furry thing helps me in characterizing Tigress a bit, I'd say. Although I'm having a hard time understanding the little animal. Seriously, what's so interesting about my shoes? Anyway, as to the story itself... it's more of an intro than anything else. Yes, intro. This is going to be the one-shot series I talked about a while ago. So, onto the one-shot number 'one', then.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda**

**Awesome Or Not, I'll Remember It**

It was a thing all boys... all children had in common. The dream to become _the_ someone. The great someone... a hero. Po was no exception. Becoming the Dragon Warrior was a dream come true for the bear, even if there were moments that made him reconsider the pros and cons of going back to the life of a cook at his father's restaurant.

But no, the conclusion was always the same in the end. He would not change a thing.

That did not mean, however, that there were not situations he most certainly did not dream of during his childhood years. Things he did not think of. Things that, as he would say, were really not all that awesome.

It was on that one particular day when the panda, weary and tired, dirty and reeking, with his head spinning, his vision blurry and his stomach seemingly whirling at such intensity that he did not even dare to think about food, really wished he could be somewhere else. Or someone else.

The situation itself was not repulsing by any means. It all made perfect sense; he was the Dragon Warrior and it was his duty to help those in need. And it did not even need to be his duty when the ones in need of help were his friends.

His _heroes_.

But still, it felt somewhat... odd. Carrying his idols, being the one to save them from the ill situation. Being the only one able to walk.

Being the only one aware, the only one still _conscious_.

It felt grim more than anything else. It was just that need to help his friends that kept him going. Otherwise, he would toss himself somewhere onto the ground and get the much needed sleep. Truly, the desire was just too tempting. In his state, he did not doubt he would find the cold, muddy ground comfortable.

But he had to go on. He could not let them down. He would not hesitate to land his friends, his comrades the helping hand. Or shoulder. Or back. Or pretty much anything they could lean on.

Or rather lie on.

It was one of those moments when Po was actually glad for his size. Truly, the task would be much more difficult if he was a bug, like Mantis. Or a snake, like Viper, with no hands at all.

The way he was, it was easier, yes, but still not comfortable. Crane, although being light, was rather troublesome. The avian just insisted on almost falling off the panda's left shoulder everytime the bear moved. Mantis was obviously easier, but Po could not help but worry he would somehow hurt the seemingly fragile insect sleeping in his black, furry paw. Monkey was the most cooperative when it came to staying still in one place, resting on his right shoulder with his limbs and tail hanging freely. The primate managed to be annoying in his own way, though, even when unconscious.

The only one Po could not complain about was Viper.

Only until he had to cross a shallow river. Early in the morning as it was, with the dawn just at its beginning, a momentary, small contact the reptile's scaled body made with the cold water was enough to cause the snake to move. With her eyes still closed and overall still unaware of her surroundings, Viper started to coil up on the bear's leg in attempt to get further away from the water's surface.

A startled yelp resounded through the bamboo forest when the panda felt the snake get way too close to a certain area. He quickly finished his way across the river. Then, once on a dry land again, he moved Mantis from one paw to another so he could better reach for the troublesome reptile. He grabbed her by her body, gently prying her off from his thigh. Just as he hoped, she reacted by immediately coiling around the arm.

Deciding he had all of his four friends safely situated, he continued in his way. For once, he was really glad that Tigress did not accompany them. Truly, he did not know how he'd manage to carry her too. Not that he thought she was heavy or anything. A bitter chuckle made its way to his mouth when he thought about the consequences of voicing such a thought in front of the feline.

His laughter was cut short, however, when he suddenly registered the right side of his back getting wet. He froze for a moment, then let out an annoyed groan.

Monkey puked. Again.

Right then and there the panda vowed to himself that he would never agree to get drunk with his friends again.

Or get drunk at all.

Despite it being his first time to as much as touch alcohol, save perhaps for some rare occasions when his dad used it for cooking, the panda discovered that he was not such a light-weight as one would think.

Compared to the other four warriors, at least.

He did not feel encouraged by this discovery, though. Especially seeing that the price for the winner of the drinking contest was to carry the losers all the way back.

Yes, being the Dragon Warrior and a comrade of the Furious Five was indeed awesome.

Carrying them back from the inn to the campsite with a nasty hangover... that was something else.

He was not really certain why he agreed to it. Nor did he really understand how Mantis and Monkey convinced Viper and Crane to come along. He always considered the latter two to be the wise ones, the mature ones.

After the events of last night, things got a little more... perspective.

Po has learnt many things that night. First, Crane could not fly very well when drunk. Second, Viper was not always so nice and innocent. Third, Mantis knew of ways to use acupuncture and the knowledge of nerve points the panda would prefer to never hear about.

„You're _late_."

And fourth, Tigress looked really scary when she was upset, even if your vision was somewhat worsened by drinking.

Come to think of it, it actually made her look even more scary.

A sudden feeling of dread overcome the panda when the realization hit him. Tigress did not know what he and the rest of the five were up to last night. They knew well what her reaction would be like, so they came up with a little lie. Lie that was no good now when she could clearly see the state they were in.

„Uh, y-yeah, sorry about... that," Po spoke, trying to sound as sober as possible. He kept glancing around, confused why the campsite seemed so different from yesterday. Of course the reason was simple; he was not at the camspite. He met Tigress on her way after them. Yes, they were late indeed.

Now _that_ was going to be _not_-awesome.

„We, uh... we got... delayed," the panda tried to explain. In vain, actually. Things were all too clear.

Tigress growled in anger, her glare was present in full force. Po could not stop his mind from going over the possible consequences this all would have. Would she take it out on him? Probably; he was the only one still standing, after all. Or would she tell Shifu? Or would she take it out on him and then tell Shifu?

„So," she cut through his racing thoughts, making him refocus his gaze on her again. As much as he was able to, at least. „How was your little night out?"

The glare was gone for the moment. Her tone was even, measured, and in combination with her raised brow, almost daring. Yes, as if she was daring him to deny the truth.

Teasing him.

Po hung his head in shame, his usually happy expression now replaced by a deep frown. He contemplated on the answer, more than he would have if sober. He took the time to take in the pain in his legs, the uneasiness in his stomach, the unpleasant taste in his mouth, the smell... not to mention the state the fur on his back was in...

And then, a smile crept its way onto his muzzle, the frown disappearing as the smile grew wider and wider as he remembered all the laughter, the jokes, the awesome tales the warriors would probably never share if it weren't for the wine affecting their reason.

These were things he would probably never tell to the village children; Crane trying to paint the sky green, Monkey pulling out some of his best pranks, Mantis and Viper revealing secrets the panda would have trouble getting out of his mind for weeks to come...

„Totally awesome," the panda declared, barely above a whisper. Raising his gaze, he was met with a piercing glare. The tiger's tail was curled downards in anger, lightly tapping the ground impatiently, almost like a foot.

„A-and I'll never do it again," Po quickly added, realizing what she was waiting for.

Tigress studied him for a little longer, judging. Then, nodding to herself, she turned around and started walking toward the campsite. „We were supposed to be at the Thread of Hope by now."

„Er, yeah, sorry," the panda mumbled after he let out a sigh of relief. „I'll explain it to Shifu why we're lat-"

„So we'll head off immediately to make up for the delay your little _detour_ caused."

„_Huh?!_" the panda almost squeaked, the tiredness of his body suddenly seeming to grow tenfold. „But I'm so freaking tired and the others aren't awake and-" he went on without breathing, stopping only when Tigress turned around to face him.

„Err, I," he faltered under her gaze, sighing in defeat. „At least help me carry Crane. He keeps falling down."

Tigress stood unmoving for a few moments, then nodded and removed the avian from the bear's shoulder.

„Such a disgrace," she muttered under her breath as she readjusted the feathered master in her arms. „What happened to his hat?"

„You don't wanna know."

„That bad?"

„Yeah," Po nodded in confirmation. „I guess it's a good thing they probably won't remember anything."

„But you will."

Po turned his head to look at her at that line. There was a smirk on his face.

„You bet," he stated in a happy tone, making her look at him confusedly in return. „There's no way I'm forgetting anything from the time I spend with you guys."

**A/N: Thank you for reading! As always I ask you to voice your opinion. Just one thing: be honest about it. Really, that's all I want from you in your reviews. As to the series itself, I honestly don't know at what frequency I'll be updating this. It will mostly serve as a 'case' for ideas I can't put into HEGHHF or ideas I don't indend to turn into longer stories. There's quite a few of those. By this I don't mean that you can't send some suggestion should you have some, but... I don't know, I have hard time writting something that doesn't pop up in MY head. And as I stated earlier, I don't have much of a time now... and also, there's HEGHHF... the title really seems terrible when written like this, doesn't it?**

**Err, anyway, thanks again and have a nice time! See you later!**


	2. One Heck of an Awakening

**A/N: Greetings! So I finally found myself some time to continue this series. The character of this story is a tad similar to the first one, I admit. Still learning and experimenting. So, please, let me know what you think.**

**Also, as a side note, I'm withdrawing chapter two of 'Of Heroes And Their Burden'. You guys know it needs to be done. I'll talk more about that there, not here.**

**Here, I wish you to have a good time and enjoy the story. See ya.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda**

**One Heck of an Awakening**

Po knew something was wrong before he even opened his eyes. The rather unpleasant headache he woke up to said as much. With a silent, pained groan he willed his eyelids to move, taking in the sight of his bedroom's ceiling. It was not much of an interesting sight, but it still produced quite a few questions.

Was it even morning?

The throbbing pain in his head was hinting on a tale with a nasty knock-out at the end. As such, it could be any time of the day, as it seemed he just awoke from being unconscious for...

...for how long, exactly?

And how did he get knocked out in the first place?

He could not remember, he realized. Frustrated with the situation he found himself in, the panda brought his left paw to his face, only to be forced to suppress the urge to hiss in pain.

His left cheek stung. He gently examined the wound with his fingers, keeping his tired gaze still locked on the ceiling. A few long, shallow cuts traced the side of his face. Nothing serious, but still somewhat painful.

How did he get those?

By now Po was starting to get a little peeved by the unending surge of questions he could not find the answers to. Despite his continuous attemps, he still could not remember how he ended up where he was. He could try to read a bit more from the cuts on his face, though.

Were they caused by blades? Probably; the bandits used weapons more than just often. The scratches were too organized, though, all of them following the same direction rather than being all random. Splinters, perhaps? No, that did not seem right either...

What about claws?

Po's eyes widened at the idea. Scratches. Regular, orderly... of course. A clawed paw did this, but whose?

The buffalos had hooves... Fung and his crocs were never that desperate in a fight... maybe some felines? There haven't been many of those among the recent bandit attacks. Maybe someone new?

The panda's features brightened somewhat. He felt like he was getting on the right trail here, perhaps even getting closer to remember. If he could just find the one thought that would trigger his memory...

_Hmm... felines...,_ he mused, going over all kinds of felines he could remember. _Leopards, panthers, mountain cats, tigers... wait..._

_It couldn't... could it?_

It would not be the first time Po woke up like this after an unsuccessfull training session. It was way too easy to end up beaten and unconscious in the Training Hall of the Jade Palace.

And Tigress could send him into the 'dream land' fairly easily.

But what about the claws?

Maybe it was the wooden warriors. It certainly could not be Tigress; she scarcely used her claws in battle. Even less so in training; it was too dangerous.

And he did not get her that mad... recently anyways.

After musing over it for a few more minutes, and getting just more and more frustrated, the panda decided that the best way to find out exactly what happened was to finally get up and ask his friends.

So he went to do just that.

Only... he couldn't.

Oddly enough it wasn't until he tried to sit up that he realized that there was something weighing down on him.

Upon closer inspection it turned out that there was actually _someone _lying _on_ him.

And the most shocking realization of all was _who_ it was that decided to use him as a bed.

Seeing the orange fur with black stripes caused his blood to run cold and his breathing to stop. A startled yelp was making its way out of his throat, but fortunately enough it was stopped by the memories finally kicking in.

The images of that day's event flashed in front of his eyes and all questions suddenly answered themselves.

Po continued to stare in awe, biting his lip in uncertainty and too scared to move, knowing the feline could wake up at any moment. So far, she seemed to sleep peacefully with her face resting on his stomach... and her strong arms tighlty hugging his right one.

After a few more moments that seemed to last for eternity, he finally found the courage to speak.

„So... is that a yes?"


	3. Challenge Accepted

**A/N: All things considered, I suppose I owe you people an apology for my absence. Even more than that, however, I owe you thanks for your patience. I'm seriously grateful and possibly even more sorry for having to tell you that things are stll not getting better. Nothing is quite resolved yet, I'm merely letting you know that I'm still breathing and that I still haven't given up on this. Nor do I inted to.**

**As for this little one-shot thingie... it has been brought to my attention that I'm not quite managing to avoid crossing the border of cheesy and fluffy. And it makes me unhappy, though I'm glad I was informed of that. So, instead of plunging into continuing HEGHHF, I'll shower you with Ti/Po -centric one-shots. Sorry about that, but I'd really like to get things straight in this topic before I continue the long thing. And so I ask you, those overall disliking either the topic or the pairing included, to let me know what you think I'm doing wrong.**

**Thanks in advance, and I'll shut up now before this author's note grows longer than the story itself.**

**Challenge Accepted**

Silence, long and unpleasant, filled the training hall. No words were spoken, no witty remarks or even hints of laughter were heard. Annoying as those may be, he would find them preferable to the looks he was recieving. Confusion, disbelief, disappointment. All these were plain to see on the five faces in front of him. The sixth one was blank, unreadable, and yet the worst. The feline's mask was as firm as ever, but he believed he could feel the disdain, or anger, even, behind those fiery eyes.

Some Dragon Warrior he was.

Upset and ashamed, he cast his gaze to the floor, deciding it would be best to try and stand up so he would preserve at least _some_ of his dignity.

„That is enough for today," the stern voice of a master cut through the quiet. „Tigress, you and the Five may go. Use the time to meditate and study the scrolls."

Dismissed, the five warriors bowed and left to do as they were told. The Master of the Tiger Style cast one last glance over her shoulder, though. A glance that Po caught.

A glance that made him look downwards again.

Another silence followed, seemingly lasting much longer than it actually did as neither of the two remaining figures wished to speak until those dismissed were out of earshot.

„Po, I-" Shifu started, pinching the bridge of his nose. „I'm... not sure what to say."

The large bear shrugged innocently, only to rub his shoulder right after. His body ached, and quite a lot at that.

„Level zero?" he offered, causing his master to look up at him. He hoped for a smile, or a smirk. He recieved none.

„No, Po. This was about negative two."

Sullenly spoken words, rewarded with equally sullen reaction.

„Sorry," mumbled Po.

„I don't understand," Shifu continued, rubbing his forehead with one hand while the other held on to his staff. „You did so well during our training in the mountains. You defeated Tai Lung. This should not have gone... as it did."

„I don't know," Po replied, this time deciding to avoid any shrugging. „Maybe the whole Dragon Warrior thing, I dunno, works only when it's needed?"

„Po, you will work with the Five," Shifu pressed, speaking slowly as if wanting to make sure the importance of the message was clear enough. „You will _fight_ together, thus it's crucial that you _train_ together."

„I know," the giant panda answered, bowing his head. He knew well that his master was right, he really did. And he also did want to train together with the Five, but...

„How about givin' it another shot?"

The red panda reacted by snapping his head in the bear's direction, hoping he was merely jesting. One look into those green eyes was enough to learn that there was no joking involved.

„Po, I don't think tha-"

„Oh, come on!" the Dragon Warrior interrupted, already walking to the first obstacle, somehow suddenly looking completely unaware of all the bruises, or overall the state his body was in. Not to mention the state his _pants_ were in.

„Just one more try!" he pleaded. Determination was shining bright in his eyes.

Shifu gave in.

„Very well," the elder master said with a sigh, and barely second later, he was forced to readjust the grip on his staff so he would not drop it. So shocking was the difference in the panda's performance. Speed, grace and precision, all guided by determination he grew to expect from only two of his students.

As one obstacle after another were conquered, Shifu could not help but wonder what was the reason behind that change. From a clumsy disaster that strongly reminded him of the panda's first days at the palace back to the Dragon Warrior. The training was a success; he was more than able to join the Five during their training in the training hall. But why did the first attempt in presence of the Five end so miserably?

The answer was in the question itself. _In presence of the Five._ Shifu silently nodded to himself, no longer paying attention to how Po was doing. He recalled how flustered and awkward the bear first acted when he met with the valley's protectors; the root of the problem was found. All that was left to do was solving it.

„A bit better, huh?" Po's voice cut through Shifu's thoughts. The bear was beaming with pride, standing in front of his master with his usual grin spread over his face.

„Indeed, Po," the master agreed, causing said grin to spread even wider. „Now I just wonder why it is such a problem to maintain this level in front of an audience."

The smile was wiped away in an instant, replaced by an expression somewhere halfway between shy and guilty.

„Well, I dunno, I guess," Po spoke defensively. „It's not like- they're not just _any_ audience. They're _the Five!_"

„Yes, they are," Shifu agreed, looking straight into the bear's eyes. „And you are the Dragon Warrior."

„Okay, true, but-"

„No buts, Po," Shifu pressed on, intending to resolve the matter there and then. „You are comrades now. There's no longer a-"

„But-"

„I said on buts-"

„Aw, c'mon! What other word am I to use here?" the panda almost shouted as he trew his arms into the air, sounding more than just a bit frustrated. „I know I'm the Dragon Warrior! But me being the Dragon Warrior does not make them any less awesome! They've been my heroes since... since ever!"

„I... understand, Po," the red panda sighed tiredly. Having the young panda's enthusiasm and excitement about Kung Fu and his heroes as an obstacle was unpleasant, to put it mildly. It was such a strong part of his personality that having to get past it was comparable to trying to stop the water from being wet.

„Yet you said you and the Five are getting alongmarvelously. That you've become, as you said, 'buddies'."

The last line managed to conjure up a small smile on the panda's face, for it was true. Mostly true.

„Well, yeah, I mean, Monkey and I are like the best buds!" the bear spoke with enthusiasm. „And Mantis, though a little annoying at times, is real cool! And Crane and Viper are, well, I guess they're like siblings, yeah! We're all sorta like family, actually. Well, I think, I mean, I'd like to think. And... well, and... yeah."

A notable hesitance overcame the panda at the end of his listing. He stood in silence and twiddled his fingers, looking as if the conversation was long over.

Shifu was not fooled, though.

„And?" he pressed on. To his annoyance, and perhaps a mild amusement, too, the bear reacted as if he did not know what the red panda meant.

„And what?"

„I believe you were about to mention Tigress?" the elder master inquired, brow risen.

„Uhm, yeah... well, Tigress," the bear stumbled on his words. „Err, Tigress is... uhm, awesome?"

„That she is," Shifu nodded, keeping on with his probing. „And?"

„And...," Po started, then sighed in defeat, his fingers ceasing in the nervous twiddling and his arms falling by his sides. „I don't know. She was the first to call me master back then, but now I'm not sure if... I mean, sometimes it's like she still doesn't want me here."

And there was the whole truth, clear and bare, and Shifu found himself sharing his students sullen mood. Unlike, say, Monkey, Tigress was not one to socialize quickly. Or at all, really. And if Shifu was to say anything about that, it was his darned fault.

He would not go out and proclaim that, however. Certainly not yet. But he had to do something about this hindrance in Po's progress.

„Despite how it may seem, Po, Tigress holds great respect for you," he said. „She is, however, first and foremost, a warrior. A person wholly dedicated to what Kung Fu is."

„Yeah, I know," nodded Po. „And I respect that. I mean, it's awesome! But...," another left his mouth. „It's not a bad thing that I want to get along with her as I do with the others, is it?"

No success in lifting the young warrior's spirits was met so far, Shifu saw. „It is not, Po," the master assured his student. „But I'm afraid that if getting along with her like that is what it takes, you might not be able to move from the mountains with your training before the winter comes."

Perhaps it was not the best thing to say, Shifu thought, seeing as Po seemed to sulk right after hearing it. The panda stared at the floor wordlessly. Another long silence filled the room. The bear presumably coming to terms with the truth, while red panda was waiting, hoping, and considering what else he could do or say.

And then, there was the change in those green eyes. The Dragon Warrior lifted his gaze to meet that of his master. No words, no energetic proclamations or silly dance. A simple message, underlined with determination, was sent. Silent, and yet loud and clear enough for Shifu to understand.

The challenge was accepted.

**A/N: And the elderly master inwardly chuckled to himself, praying that his foster daughter would have enough patience and mental endurance for what she was in for. Heh, yeah...**

**So, this is where I thank your for reading and urge you to let me know what you think I messed up at. Until next time. See ya!**


	4. Claws and Hearts

**A/N: So, look and behold, I have found another bit of time to write. And I'm doing as I said I would: another one-shot with a predictable choice of main characters. For those of you wondering, yes, I do have ideas for something else than Ti-Po in store. But I'm trying to figure out this whole avoid-being-cheesy thing, and I'm not moving on until I feel I've figured it out! That's your cue, by the way. Leave an opinion on how I'm handling it. And not just here. If you're one of the people who read my other stories too, than I'm issuing the same plea there as well. One way or another, thanks. Now, just enjoy the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda**

**Claws and Hearts**

„Wait, what? Seriously?"

Awe, surprise and disbelief were written on his face, further underlined by the shock in his voice. Tigress was a bit surprised herself, but not by the 'revelation' as the panda was, but by the very fact that _he_ was surprised by it. Despite him repeatedly doing his best to prove otherwise, she knew he was not so simple-minded as some would guess. Just recently he proved it by the brilliant plan of switching Mantis for his action figure.

Then again, though, there was the a little less brilliant plan with the rice. And the dragon costume.

Still, she would expect him to react in a _slightly _less astounded way. And she would expect him to focus on other matters, and not on the fact that...

„I'm supposed to have claws? Really?"

The feline blinked twice before sighing somewhat tiredly. By this time, she was all too aware of how the famous Dragon Warrior could turn the simplest things into long conversations and difficult explanations, yet she was not always prepared for everything.

The panda was, if nothing else, a reliable source of surprises.

„You're not supposed to, Po. You actually _do_ have them," she replied slowly, while gesturing with her paws to the blunt stubs of claws the bear possessed.

„Nah, these?" he remained unconvinced, just further proving what Tigress already knew: that this would end up lasting much longer than was necessary. „Come on, claws are _sharp!_ _These_ are-"

„Blunt," the feline interrupted, finishing the sentence for him. „Clearly never used; that's the problem." At least Tigress hoped so. She had a hard time imagining the kind and compassionate goose she knew Mister Ping to be doing something like blunting his adoptive sons's claws.

And yet again, the panda kept on resisting understanding. „Well, it would be kinda hard to use them when they're blunt..."

„Po," she spoke sagely, putting her paws behind her back. She all but resembled Shifu during his lectures at that moment. „When a sword is forged, is it sharp from the start?"

„Well, I guess you have to sharpen it first, right?" the bear shrugged indifferently. Tigress remained silent, she merely raised her brow in a hint, waiting for him to connect the dots. „Oh, you mea-_OH!_ I see!"

The tiger nodded in approval, while inwardly, she sighed in relief.

„Where did you find the scroll, anyway?"

And there went the relief. She refocused her eyes on him. Eyes that, while only just slightly, still noticeably widened. That was one of those things, one of the questions, she _was_ prepared for, yet she still hoped for it not to come.

„I...," the proud and resolute, although now suddenly hesitant feline started, finding herself unable to continue. But why? She wondered that herself. It was not such a difficult thing to say that she understood how he must have felt after learning about his family, his people, and their fate. It should not be so hard to tell him that she felt for him, and that she wanted to help. To offer some sort of closure. Giving him the scroll containing study on ursines, pandas included, was not such a big thing, was it?

So... why?

„I found it by chance, while studying the Thousand Scrolls, and I thought you might want to take a look at it" she finally answered after a few more moments of hesitation. A simple 'ah' of understanding was all he answered, but it seemed he believed her. Another inward sigh of relief in such a short while, this time much stronger than the first one. She found herself so agitated, that she had to focus so she would not give herself away by lashing her tail wildly.

She was not pleased by that.

Nor was she particularly happy when she realized that she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. The truth of that became evident to her only when, suddenly, she found herself in her large panda friend's embrace, without even sensing him approaching. She did not retaliate though, but merely froze.

And to add another surprise to the pile on that day, she found herself liking it.

„Thank you," Po said, and it was evident that he was being sincere. His smile, his eyes... he pretty much shined with gratefulness.

„You're welcome." A simple answer, delivered with a nod. After that, an awkward silence befell the two warriors. Two pairs of eyes kept wandering everywhere, trying to avoid the other, until it was the panda who spoke up to cut the silence short.

„So, if I sharpened them, they would work like, say, yours do?"

„In theory, certainly," Tigress nodded, bringing herself to gaze at him again.

„Heh, odd," the panda chuckled lightly, gazing at his paw. „I never really imagined myself clawing and stuff."

„They're not just for clawing, Po," the feline corrected. „They are a natural weapon, true, but as such can be used in many ways."

„Like what?" Po asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Tigress gazed at him blankly for a moment, then started naming out the various uses while counting on her figners. „Cutting ropes, freeing yourself from being tied, picking locks, writting into hard surfaces, carving... they're also invaluable when climbing-"

A hearty chuckle made her stop. The bear was holding his belly while trying, and failing, to stop the laughter. „S-sorry!" he hastily apologized when he noticed her glare. „I just don't think these would hold me when climbing."

Hearing that, Tigress allowed herself a smirk. „Yeah, I'm finding it hard to imagine that, too. Although the scrolls mentions pandas climbing trees."

„Really?" the panda's brow shot up. When Tigress nodded in confirmation, the bear shook his head, bringing his paw to the back of his neck. „I certainly don't remember ever doing _that_."

„You never needed to climb trees for food, or to avoid danger," Tigress explained, taking notice of the bear's shy smile at the mention of food, and then the flinch at the mention of danger. She did not pry, though. She had some memories of climbing to safety herself.

„You'd be surprised by how much you're capable of when driven by hunger, or fear," she finished with a hint of melancholy. She hoped she did not let herself go too far, that she did not leave herself way too open. She did not wish him to pry, either.

Her wish, for once, came true, when Po suddenly decided to avoid the touchy parts of the subject. And in a very Po-ish manner, too. She had to wonder whether it was just the child in him... or whether he actually knew what was going through her head and just wished to distract her.

„That could be so _cool!_" the young Dragon Warrior proclaimed with great enthusiasm, raising his paws in a mocking attack posture. „The scary and dangerous Dragon Warrior! Beware his Awesome Claws of Ultimate Doom!"

The whole thing was followed by a rather silly attempt at a roar. It could not be further from threatening; it was just ridiculous. And yet, watching the scene, Tigress found herself worried. Not because she thought him actually scary, but...

„They'd be like aaaaah! And I'd go RAAAAW-huh?" feeling something grasp his paws, the bear stopped the silliness, and proceeded to stare confusedly at the orange-furred paws holding his.

„Please, stop," she said, and in such uncharacteristically gentle voice that it caused Po's heart to skip a beat. As if the fact that Tigress said 'please' was not enough.

„It's a terrible idea, really," she continued, with a smile on her face, and with her paws still holding onto his.

„Uhm, how- wha-" Po mumbled, moving his gaze from his paws, or rather from the feline's paws, to her eyes.

„Well, first, you'd just probably damage them, since you've never used them before," she spoke while slowly releasing the bear from her hold. „And more importantly... it wouldn't be you."

„What do you mean?"

Po was starting to think that this had to be a record; she was still smiling. „Think about what makes you different from us others," Tigress said. Po reacted by glancing sideways and grimacing slightly.

„If you mean the stealth thing-"

„Your heart," she cut him off, surprising _him_ for a change. „Your kindness, your compassion and sincerity. _They're_ your natural weapon, Po, and also the reason why it is you who bears the title."

She watched him as he just stood without saying anything, taking all her words in. Putting her paws on her hips, she continued. „I'm sure you agree that claws and sharp don't go well with all this."

„Yeah, I guess you're right," Po said with a chuckle behind his voice. Another wordless moment followed. This time Tigress decided to be the one to break it.

„Didn't you say you were supposed to see your father about something today?"

Po's eyes went wide. „Oh, right! I totally forgot!" He turned around to run toward the village, shouting his thanks over his shoulder.

Tigress watched him descend, and occasionally stumble, down the long stairway. A large, content smile was on her face. She was far from ready to admit it out loud, but he was perfect as he was. And she would do all she could to make sure he would not change.

**A/B: **_**He would just end up clawing himself, anyway,**_** she added in her mind, then proceeded to walk towards the training hall. **

**Meh. **

**So, as always and still just as sincerely, I thank you for reading and urge you to review. See you next time and be well!**


	5. Tall Tale

**A/N: Welcome and thank you for reading this series! Once again I'd like to express my gratitude to all of you who took the time to read, review or otherwise support me in this endeavour. This particular and rather short one-shot is yet another example of what all a person can come up with while sitting in a bathroom. Hopefully you'll find it of more worth than the normal physical result of my visits there.**

**Bad jokes aside, I hope you enjoy this story and as always I urge you to let me know either way!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda**

**Tall Tale**

"Ok, here goes."

Clearing his throat, he rubbed his paws together in excitement. His voice turned deep and dramatic. Perhaps too dramatic – something they got used to already, just as to the many other things about him.

"Long ago, back in the days when-"

"Uh, Po, it hasn't really been that long."

"Uh, alright," he cleared his throat again, starting over. "There was once a hero, brave and strong-"

A snicker was heard, causing his ear to twitch and his brow to furrow, but he continued on nonetheless.

"A hero so legendary, with his awesome skills being the real stuff of_ legends-_!"

"Yeah, some were remarkable alright."

"He's right though. That fall from the stairs was _beyond_ legendary."

He stopped, letting his arms fall by his sides as he gazed at the two causes of the interruption, waiting for them to stop laughing.

"Sorry," they shrugged innocently, gesturing for him to continue.

With a sigh, he assumed the narrator role again.

"So where was I- oh, right! So impressed were the famous masters, that when they met this super-awesome hero, they instantly-!"

"Face-palmed."

"Fell down laughing."

"Hush, you guys!"

"_Ahem!_" the now slightly annoyed storyteller called for order, his patience still enduring. "As I was sayin'... when they met this great hero, they instantly acknowledged the bodacity of his feats and blinding awesomeness-"

"Yeah, I couldn't see at all."

"Couldn't see _over him,_ you mean."

With a triumphant laughter, the two jokesters high-fived. As much as a praying mantis and a golden langur could, anyway. Po just folded his arms and rolled his eyes, clearly unamused by his two friends' interruptions. Glancing over at the rest of his audience did not do much to help the situation either. At least Viper was trying to hide her amusement, but the panda could hear the laughter in her voice as she scolded her comrades. And Crane... well, Crane had his hat. And that was that.

"Come on, guys! I'm trying to work here?" Po pleaded with frustration.

"S-sorry Po," Monkey spoke, with hints of chuckle still to be heard behind his words. "It's just-"

"Just what?" Po inquired, somewhat unsure of whether it was a good idea to have his comrades as a try-out audience.

"Well, maybe it would help if you said it more... more like it really was," Viper offered gently, hoping to avoid offending their ursine friend.

Po grimaced. "You really want me to tell them how I set myself on fire or how I rolled down the stairs?"

"Hah, yeah, those two would really-"

"Or how I was thrown around in the training hall? Smacked across the face? Whacked by a staff? Paralyzed repeatedly? Dropped down from a above?"

The bug froze with his mouth open and his appendage risen. "Uh, okay, maybe not _all_ of those," he finished with his antennas lowered in shame. The rest followed in suit, having somewhat guilty or embarrased looks on their faces.

An awkward silence filled the room, with Po rubbing the bridge of his snout in frustration while the others were exchanging glances, urging on another to say something. And then...

"Yes."

The one, short, simple word cut through, causing the five pairs of eyes to instantly turn toward the speaker. The feline was leaning casually against the doorframe, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"That's exactly what you should say."

"Wha-?" the bear voiced his confusion, staring open-mouthed at Tigress as she slowly walked into the room. She joined her surprised comrades on the floor, sitting down cross-legged right next to Po.

"Or would you rather base your story upon _lies?_" she asked when it seemed that no one would speak.

It took Po a few more seconds before he answered. „I- _no_, but-" he stumbled across his words. "I don't wanna _lie_, but... I'm not really sure it would be cool to tell the truth about my first days here either." Lowering his voice, he added. "And I kinda thought you wouldn't want me to do that, either."

Whether intentionally or not, Po was looking _straight_ at Tigress when saying those words. The feline leaned back slightly, her mind going over the speech she gave him when he was just searching for his room.

"I mean," Po spoke on. "I know truthfulness is all nice and dandy, but... I wanted to make it a _good_ story, and well, I don't think the truth would-"

"And what worth is there to a story if it's not true?" Tigress countered. Now it was Po who leaned back as he allowed the tiger's words to sink in. "The truth is, that when you were proclaimed the Dragon Warrior," the feline continued. "We were outraged. _I_ was outraged. You did not inspire the impression of a legendary warrior, a long-awaited Kung Fu prodigy."

Tigress' voice was calm, measured, and her expression blank. A hard, cold mask against Po, who was starting to look visibly hurt "It's truth some of us wanted you gone. It's truth some of us tried to make you leave. Some of us did so openly."

The bear cast his gaze down. Another silence followed. Monkey and Mantis were glancing at each other nervously, while Viper had her eyes locked on the feline, wanting to know where this was going. The moment the small, but still visible smile spread across the feline's face, the snake understood.

"And you stayed," Tigress said, and Po snapped his head up to look back at her when he registered the now suddenly so gentle tone of her voice. "You stayed, despite everything we put you through. Repeatedly discouraged and faced with ordeals you weren't used to whatsoever, you pulled through with never-waning determination. Even when insulted, your maintained your respect for us, refusing to hold a grudge – yet another thing to confirm why you are the Dragon Warrior, Po."

The panda was at a loss for words. His heart skipped a beat when he registered the warmth of a furred paw on his shoulder.

"And that _does_ make a good story."

It took him a few moments to get over the shock. But finally, he smiled back.

"You know what? I think you're right."

**A/N: Already here? Oh, well, thank you kindly for reading! Now if could just leave a review, I'd truly appreciate that. **

**Now, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to finally write the quotation marks right. We write them a bit differently here in my country, and while knowing that it is different in English, I still somehow managed to overlook it. Only when one of you pointed it out I realized my mistake... and it took another two stories for me to finally remember to set them right. So, sorry and thanks for keeping an eye on me.  
**

**Also, those who have read more of my stories... I'd like to ask you a question. Whether intentionally or not, many of my stories end up as a romance. And I need to know this: am I doing well at not making them seem cheesy/fluffy? It's a serious question, people. I'm enough of a hypocrite as it is. I don't really want to keep on writing cheesy or unrealistic stuff without being told about it when nothing could be further from my intentions. **

**Well, one way or another, thank you for the answer and see you next time!**


End file.
